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Arianna hadn't been to Luke's house before. It was very far from hers and, until recently, she couldn't walk much farther than Highyard Hill. Tony had walked down with her, but ran off to the market after they reached the short road to the Triton residence. Part of her wished he was still there; she was a little nervous.
It had been a bit over a year now and Luke hadn't said anything; he was just happy they were friends again. Actually, he seemed happier in general than he had a year ago, though so was Arianna, she supposed. She was going to get better, and herself and Tony now had made so many friends in Misthallery. Another change that hadn't come just yet, though, was Luke moving.
He'd told her about it a week ago, before he told anyone else (except Toppy). Now that repairs to the town were almost complete, his family was preparing to move to London. On top of that, Luke would leave first and stay with Professor Layton while his parents finalized things.
He was so excited to become the Professor's apprentice. Arianna usually only saw him like that when he told her about animal facts he'd recently learned or a book he really liked. He'd mentioned before that he wished he lived in a city, like London. She would miss him, but really hoped this would work out.
However, there was one thing she needed to say before he left. Even if he'd visit, even if he wasn't mad at all, even if he wouldn't be leaving for a bit, when it comes to apologies, the sooner the better and this one was long overdue. Taking a deep breath, she made sure not to slip on the stepping stones or the front steps, and knocked on the door.
“Coming!” Luke's mom, Brenda, answered, and gave her a friendly smile. “Hello, Arianna! Come in, what brings you here today?”
“Hello, Mrs. Triton. Is Luke home?” she asked, stepping into the foyer. It was cozy.
“Yes, he's in his room. You can't miss it, he has a teddy bear guard,” Mrs. Triton explained, pointing to the stairs. “Beth and I are here if you two need anything.”
“Thank you.” Arianna nodded and went up to the second floor. She hesitated walking down the hall, even though she knew this would be fine. She noticed there were a few decorative plants, one of which was on a table next to a door and had a teddy bear sitting against it. The nameplate on the door confirmed whose room it was. She carefully knocked.
“Come in!” Luke's muffled voice responded.
There were already a couple boxes in his room, but it still gave the strong impression of being his . His violin was at the foot of his bed. They should try doing a duet again before he leaves. It looked like Luke had been packing his books and got distracted by one. He was sitting on the floor with one of his teddy bears and a book in his lap. “Oh! Hello, Arianna! Sorry about my room.”
“Don't worry about it. It's still cleaner than my house.” The dust was pretty much taken care of now, but there were still cobwebs everywhere . “Sorry that I showed up unannounced.”
“It's fine.” He set his book aside and stood up, grinning. “I'm glad you came! I've been wanting to invite you over.”
“Really?” Arianna felt her own smile forming.
“Yes! I can give you the grand tour in a second.” Luke walked over to his bed and put down his teddy bear.
“That sounds great, but… first I want to tell you something,” she stated.
“Okay, what is it?”
Another deep breath. “Do you remember a bit over a year ago, when…”
His face fell. “Yes.”
“And you remember what I said?”
His gaze darted to the floor. “Mhm.”
“I want to apologize for that. I… other people were saying awful things, but you just wanted to help. I shouldn't have snapped at you. I’m very sorry,” Arianna said.
Luke was looking at her again, and blinked in surprise. “You don't have to-”
“I know, and I know we're friends again, but…” She had made him cry, she'd hurt him, and it felt wrong to leave it unacknowledged just because things were fine now . She didn't have the words for that in the moment, though.
Despite that, he still seemed to understand. “I forgive you,” he said with a smile.
Arianna smiled back.
“Are you ready for the tour?” Luke asked.
“Yes!” she answered. This was going to be fun.
“Great! You've already seen my room. Next is my dad's office.”